- Open the site’s reportOn the Monitoring page, select the site’s name.
- Select the findingSelect its row to open the detail panel. Read the reason first; ignoring is for links you have checked and are happy with.
- Choose Ignore this findingThe finding leaves the list, and the site’s flagged count goes down by one.
- Check the Ignored listIgnored findings are listed at the bottom of the report with the verdict they had. Select Restore to bring one back.
What ignoring does
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is it counted as flagged? | No. It is left out of the flagged count and the site’s status. |
| Does it trigger alert emails? | No. See alert emails. |
| Is it still visible? | Yes, in the Ignored list, with the date and the verdict it had. |
| Where does it apply? | To that destination on every page of that site. Your other monitored sites are not affected. |
| How many can I ignore? | Up to 500 per site. |
When an ignored finding comes back
An ignore holds while the link is no more serious than when you ignored it. If a later check finds it more serious, for example Needs review has become Not safe, the ignore lapses, the finding returns to the list, and it can trigger an alert. This stops a link you accepted once from staying silent after it turns bad.
If the link is removed from the site altogether, the ignore is forgotten. If it is added back later, it is judged afresh.
A link you put there on purpose, such as a client logo, can also be trusted on a paid plan. That works in reports, scans and monitoring, and is saved per site. Ignoring is separate: it is for monitored sites and is set for each monitor.
When ignoring is the right choice
Ignore a finding when you have looked at the link, understood why it was flagged, and are content for it to stay. These are typical:
- An article about online gambling regulation links to the regulator, and the gambling words in the page triggered a keyword match.
- A security blog links to a research write-up about malware, and the topic matched even though the page is a respectable one.
- A health publisher cites a pharmacy body, and the link is flagged as pharma-related although it is the right source.
- A partner or supplier is flagged for review and you have checked the relationship yourself.
In each case the link was not wrong. The scanner flagged it because a keyword or category matched. That is a false positive, and ignoring it keeps the count honest.
When it is not
- The link is spam, hidden or injected. Remove it from the page. Ignoring only stops it counting.
- The domain behind it has lapsed or is not registered. Replace or remove the link, because anyone can take that domain over. See taken-over links.
- You are not sure. Open the page and the destination first. A finding you have not understood is better left open.
| If you want to | Use | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Accept a link as it is and stop it counting | Ignore | Leaves it out of the flagged count and alerts. Comes back if it gets more serious. |
| Record that you have fixed something | Mark reviewed | Asks Link Signals to read the page again and confirm. See mark a finding reviewed. |
| Check a fix straight away | Re-check | Reads just the flagged links now. See re-check the links you have fixed. |
| Get rid of the link | Edit the page | Removing it from the page is the only thing that removes it from the site. |
A worked example
A security blog has a post called “How phishing kits work”. It links to a researcher’s write-up, and monitoring flags the link as Needs review because the page mentions words that match a risky category. The editor opens the report, reads the reason, visits the page and sees an ordinary research article. The link is right for the post, so the editor ignores it. The site’s flagged count goes down by one and no alert is sent.
Months later the researcher’s domain lapses and a different owner puts a payday-loan page on it. A later check judges the link Not safe, which is more serious than Needs review. The ignore lapses, the finding returns to the list and an alert is sent. The editor had accepted a link that was fine at the time, not whatever might be there in future.
Looking after your ignore list
- You can ignore up to 500 destinations per site. Each ignore covers that destination on every page of the site.
- Open the Ignored list at the bottom of the report now and then. It shows the date and the verdict each finding had, so you can judge whether you would still make the same call.
- Use Restore for anything you are no longer sure about. It returns to the flagged list at once.
- Anyone who can sign in to your account can see and change the list, so it is worth agreeing in a team who ignores what.
Questions
Does ignoring change the verdict?
No. The verdict stays as it was. Only whether it is counted and alerted changes.
Can I ignore a finding in a one-off scan report?
Not as such. A finished report has Mark reviewed, which is saved to your account and checked again on the next scan: see mark a finding reviewed. Ignoring is part of monitoring.
Does ignoring on one page ignore the link everywhere?
It applies to that destination across the whole site, not to one page. Your other monitored sites are not affected.
What happens to an ignore if I delete the link?
It is forgotten. If the same link is added again later, it is judged afresh.
Will I still get the weekly summary?
Yes, but ignored findings are not counted in it. See alert emails.
Add your sitemap and you can ignore the findings you have checked.
